Urban wildlife

Urban wildlife

Urban wildlife is wildlife that is able to live or thrive in urban environments. Some urban wildlife such as the house mouse are synanthropic, ecologically associated with humans. There are several different types of urban area which can support different kinds of wildlife.

British Urban Wildlife

Many towns in the UK have "Urban Wildlife Groups" which work to preserve and encourage urban wildlife. One example is Oxford [ [http://www.ouwg.org.uk/ OUWG ] ] .

Outside

Urban areas range from fully urban, areas have little green space and are mostly covered by paving, tarmac, or building, to suburban areas with gardens and parks.

Pigeons found scavenging on scraps of food left by humans and nesting on buildings, even in the most urban areas. Rats can also be found scavenging on food. Gulls of various types will also breed and scavenge in various UK cities.

Peregrine falcons have also been known to nest in urban areas, nesting on tall buildings and predating pigeons [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/02/06/eapereg106.xml Peregrine falcon adapting to urban lifestyle - Telegraph ] ] . The peregrine falcon is becoming more nocturnal in urban environments, using urban lighting to spot its prey. This has provided them with new opportunities to hunt night-flying birds and bats.

Red foxes are also in many urban and suburban areas as scavengers [ [http://www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/urbanwt/WIS_pages/Foxes.htm Foxes ] ] . They will scavenge and also eat insects and small vertebrates such as pigeons and rodents. People also leave food for them in their gardens.

Inside houses

Numerous animals can also live within buildings. Two common animals are the house mouse, which is specialised for living alongside humans, and the cockroach.

ewers

Sewers also contain wildlife. The most well known wildlife of sewers is rats. An escaped pet boa constrictor was found living in sewage pipes in a block of flats in Manchester [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/4351490.stm BBC NEWS | UK | England | Manchester | Snake hiding in sewers is caught ] ] .

North American Urban Wildlife

While there are media accounts of alligators being found in sewer pipes and storm drains, most experts think that such 'sewer alligators' are unlikely to sustain a breeding population in such an environment.

References


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